“Shutaro, the Curry Sage, who had been battling illness for some time, passed away on February 10th due to pancreatic cancer. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us during his lifetime and to report his passing. Shutaro’s adventures in this world have come to an end, but his work will remain. We hope that you will continue to enjoy the games created by Shutaro,” reads the message on his social media account, as translated by ResetEra user Foffy.

Iida’s death comes after a storied career in the gaming industry dating back to the late 1990s. Having joined Konami in 1996, he worked on several major titles in the Castlevania series as programmer, including 2003’s Aria of Sorrow, 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow and 2008’s Order of Ecclesia. On 2010’s Harmony of Despair, he served as the level designer. Other games he worked on included Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain as lead game programmer, and Ground Zeroes as lead enemy NPC programmer.

Since his departure from the company in 2015, however, Iida worked on several more projects, notably alongside Koji Igarashi on the Bloodstained games. He was director on 2019 Metroidvania Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Despite Iida’s hospitalization over the last year, he was also confirmed to have been working on the next title in the Bloodstained series, dubbed The Scarlet Engagement. The game was unveiled back in June 2025 with a story trailer, and is expected to feature a similar style of Metroidvania gameplay with some of its new features on top.

In his own social media message, Bloodstained series producer Koji Igarashi wrote about having worked with Iida since the development of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He recalled the time he spent working alongside Iida, and thanked the latter for having supported him for over 20 years.

“Since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, we had been working together,” he wrote (via machine translation). “It would not be an exaggeration to say that many of the titles hailed as masterpieces could not have been achieved without his contributions. His talent was unparalleled.”

“I feel that the success of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was largely due to his strong support. Before I knew it, he had been supporting me for over 20 years. He was a person who always thought about the games and approached production with a passion that burned like his very life.”

Later on in the post, Igarashi also spoke about the development of Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, calling it a “precious work infused with [Iida’s] spirit.”

“So as not to disappoint him, we will carry on his legacy and complete it with care,” he wrote. “We kindly ask for your continued support and encouragement as always. Our thoughts are with the bereaved family, and we sincerely pray for his soul.”

Generally speaking, the Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement will be an evolution on top of the foundations laid down by Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The title will seemingly feature a similar style of metroidvania gameplay that melds sidescrolling platforming with fast-paced action, epic boss fights, and even plenty of exploration.

According to the trailer’s description, the game Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement will take place years before the events of Ritual of the Night. The protagonist this time around is Leo, who is teaming up with the Black Wolves in order to storm the Ethereal Castle and take on the rising darkness.

Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement doesn’t yet have a release date aside from a 2026 window.